Door-spring



" modem D. C. STOVER,

Door Spring.

No; 240,863. Patented'May 3,1881.

ver.

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N.PETERS, PHpIfp-qTHBGRAPHm WASI'HNGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL (J. STOVER, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

DOOR-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 110,240,863, dated May 3, 1881.

Application filed March 1,1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, DANIEL G. Srovna, of the city of Freeport, county of Stephenson, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Door-Springs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, durable, and efficient door-spring, which will hold the door either open or closed, as desired.

My invention relates to that class of doorsprings which consist of a coil of wire from which the ends of the Wire forming it extend, constituting two arms, one of which is fastened to the door-jamb, and the other to the door, to which, through the arms, is communicated the actuating-power derived from the elasticity of the coiled wire composing the spring. This style of spring is the simplest in construction and cheapest in manufacture of any in use; but an almost insuperable difficulty in adapting it to the purpose designed has been found in the fact that while it is necessary for the right operation of the spring that the axis of the coil should remain parallel with the doorpost and the plane of the door, and that the plane of operation of the arms should be at right angles with such axis and the plane of the door, the force of the springs actuating the arms in different planes, the reaction from the same operates upon the opposite ends of the coil, exerting a torsional strain, which causes the arms to twist, and throws the coil into such a position that its axis stands at an angle to the plane of the door, and the spring becomes practically inoperative. This inherent defect has hitherto prevented the successful introduction of this form of spring.

In my invention I have completely overcome this difficulty by so constructing the spring that the arms of the same should operate in the same plane, causing the reaction from the same to be exerted from opposite directions upon the same point, thus avoiding torsional strain. 1

The invention is shown in detail in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of the spring. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thespring applied to a door. Fig. 3 is a top view of the door and spring, showing the door closed 5 and Fig. 4. is a top view of the door and spring, showing the door open.

Like letters represent like parts in the different figures.

A represents the coil, the wire extending from each end of which is preferably first bent so as to extend directly across the openings of the coil, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and are then bent at right angles at the points a a, so

that they extend parallel' and close to the coil to the middle of the same, where they meet and are again bent at right angles and form the arms B B, one arm being preferably shorter than the other. These arms are again bent at right angles near their extremities to form shanks or spindles b b, which afford means of attachment. At the point where the wires are bent to form the arms B B they should pass each other for a distance equal to the diameter of the wires, so that when bent the arms will be in a position to move in the same plane when they are actuated. The point at which the arms diverge from the coil to extend iii the same plane may be at the middle of the coil, as described.

Experiment shows that the peculiar formation of bending the wires across the ends of V l the coil, as described, gives the spring positive and decided advantages not possessed by the springs when the ends of the wire diverge tangentially from the circumference of the coil, so that the peculiar advantages sought by this spring are best obtained by this peculiar construction.

It is obvious that if the ends of the wire diverge tangentially from the circumference of thecoil, or the arms be brought nearly but not quite together, so as to operate inplanes very near to each other, a similar but inferior result would be produced.

When applied in practice the short arm is attached to the door by means of the clip 0, and the long arm is attached by means of a similar clip to the door post or jamb, the spring being so adjusted that as the door opens and the arms are spread, the coilis tightened, and the tension of the spring operates .to draw the arms together, and thus resist the opening of the door, as appears in Fig.3. When the door is fully opened the tension of the spring oper ates to hold the door open, as the point to which the force is applied is carried beyond the center around which it operates, as the arms 13 B move directly toward or from each other, so that, as already stated, the reaction from them is exerted in identically the same plane, and the torsional force is thus in exact equilibrium, and the coil is thus maintained in a position at right angles to the plane of the door, thus successfully and entirely overcoming the difliculties described.

What 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A doorspring consisting of a coiled-wire 

